Visual Voicemail

In iOS 18, Apple introduced “Voicemail Transcription” as the updated version of Visual Voicemail. It automatically transcribes voicemail messages into text, allowing you to read them instead of listening.

This feature builds on previous Visual Voicemail functionality but with improved transcription accuracy and real-time processing. It works through the Phone app > Voicemail tab, provided your carrier supports it - which it clearly does because I've had it from day one on the Dev Beta of iOS18. Also...

Apple introduced Live Voicemail, which functions like an old-school landline answering machine. When someone leaves a voicemail, iPhone users can see a real-time transcription of the message as it’s being recorded. If the call seems important, you can pick up mid-voicemail and answer the call.

How It Works:

• When a call goes to voicemail, the message is transcribed live on your screen.

• You can read the message as it’s being left.

• If you want to talk to the caller, you can answer before they finish.

• If not, they’ll leave the voicemail as usual.

This feature is processed on-device for privacy and works without sending data to Apple’s servers. 

To enable it:

1. Go to Settings > Phone.

2. Tap Live Voicemail and toggle it on.

This is not the same as Voicemail Transcription, which provides text versions of saved voicemails after they’ve been recorded. Live Voicemail is an active, real-time feature.

kibblewhite  If you are prepared to pay more for it, and it is important to you, wouldn't you be better off moving to a network that offers it? They will likely be more expensive.

Just wanted to say that Visual Voicemail started working on my iPhone a few weeks ago. And visual voicemail has moved on since I first switched to Smarty (and lost visual voicemail). It now gives me a message showing what the caller is saying, live, while they're leaving the message. Very cool.

The other feature I miss from moving to SMARTY is the ability to respond to short codes, but I don't need to do it very often, so it may have been fixed and I wouldn't know.

It's disgraceful Visual Voicemail and RCS aren't available on SMARTY. With the Vodafonethree merger, three (and this SMARTY) should just adopt the enhanced features from the Vodafone network.  There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

DJ_Walls  I think for many of Smarty's customers (me included), this is not really a 'must have'. The majority probably stick with Smarty for good value and no nonsense. The service may be basic, but then so is the price.

I would love to have visual voice mail though, and would pay a few quid more per month for it. Opportunity missed perhaps?

MSF- Okay, I'll do just that. Thanks for your help.
I think I found one, that offers almost the same deal with visual voice mail:
https://www.voxi.co.uk/sim-only-plans

Let me know what you think, do you think it will work? Many thanks.

Here's that part on their site about setting it up:
https://www.voxi.co.uk/help/articles/how-do-i-set-up-visual-voicemail----f72a2c70-c2d1-4ed2-b9b8-3d87092716e1

kibblewhite  To be honest, I have no idea what level of service you may get with that network.

Firstly, you will need to consider what Vodaphone coverage is like where you are - and then assume that Voxi gets the same service level..

I suppose you could join for a month to see what it's like and then port your number across if you find that it suits you better than Smarty.

I suppose therein point is that many of us are not too bothered about visual voicemail and find that we get a reasonable service at a good price.

MSF  okay, thanks, I'll check their reviews and what others have said about them and try and make an educated choice based on the information I can collect about their coverage etc.

For me, and for the others who do find not having visual voice mail a deal breaker, at least there appear to be options out there.

You could always try an app called "Hullomail* from the London based company, Thumbtel, which is a more than capable replacement for iPhone Visual Voicemail.r